When you start having comps with tons of layers like this it could become…really tedious trying to find the layer you want to select it, to say to add…effects or to adjust it or something, and adjusting the Timeline panel like…this every time you want to access the layer is really annoying and takes away…from your workflow.…So, I am going to give you two quick tips for selecting layers quickly. Number one,…you will notice that in the Timeline panel there is a Number column here, and…it gives you the number of the layer.…And each layer is assigned a number in that order.…And if you were to click and drag to reassign these, obviously the numbers would change.…

But if you wanted to select a certain layer and you knew the number of the…layer, you could simply type that number on the numeric keypad.…So, if I want to apply, for example, an effect to the sword layer, I could…simply type 5 on the numeric keypad, and then just double-click the effect in…the Effects and Presets panel.…To select a layer with a two or three digit number, just type the number quickly.…

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Author

Released

4/30/2010

In After Effects CS5 Essential Training, author Chad Perkins discusses the basic tools, effects, and need-to-know techniques in Adobe After Effects CS5, the professional standard for motion graphics, compositing, and visual effects for video. The course provides an overview of the entire workflow, from import to export, as well as detailed coverage of each stage, including animating text and artwork, adding effects to compositions, working in 3D, and rendering and compressing footage. Exercise files are included with the course.

Topics include:

Understanding the After Effects workflow

Precomposing footage

Explaining the basics and beyond of animating

Creating glows, patterns, textures, and more with effects

Color correcting footage

Working with text

Manipulating video playback speed

Masking objects and shape layers

Removing backgrounds with keying

Compositing multiple pieces of footage

Integrating After Effects with the rest of the Creative Suite

Skill Level Beginner

8h 39m

Duration

2,795,500

Views

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Q: In the "Creating a fireball" movie in Chapter 6, the author showed how to make a fireball. Unfortunately, it all centered around a blob layer that he made without showing how to make a blob layer. How does one go about creating a blob layer like the one used in the video?

A: To create a blob layer, make a shape layer using the Pen tool. Animate the anchor points over time to make it move. These concepts are reviewed in depth in Chapter 4, "Learning to Animate."

Q: In the Chapter 5 video "Understanding precomposing," the exercise file provided does not seem to match up with the file the instructor uses. My file does not include a "Biker Body" layer. Is there an error in the exercise file?

A: Unfortunately, the exercise file originally distributed for this chapter was incorrect. A new file was issued in February 2011. If you downloaded the exercise files prior to then, you can download the corrected file on the Exercise Files tab of the course page.

Q: How do I transition from one piece of animated type to another in After Effects?

A: There isn't an effect that can create these types of transitions. It's really a matter of animating the type and camera, using basic keyframing and positioning.

If
you understand the basics of moving the anchor point of a type layer,
animating the parameters of that layer (Scale, Rotation, Position,
etc.) and then separately animating the camera around the type layers, you
can achieve different types of transitions. Check out the following videos for more information: